Hand luggage construction



Aug. 3l, 1943. J. RITTER, JR

HAND LUGGAGE CON STRUCTION Filed Oct. 22. 1942 INVENTOR.

A T TO RNEY U alli!!! 4 v 0000000 1 relieyedfoilmuch *ot straanuf;` 'i

A further object of theliveljtin 15,711)n ja* hgndflpgga'g'e case construction whextnfa Dah' of complexiletarycarrying. lianllaas;` have; their lng-andwgrasping thesane.' 1 1 h A rther. object otftheiiu/Ventioniis to provide carrymghidles aremountect on'shonlderd por? rfoldovr) onto thetpoftheluggage case.

Alim-ther object; of thetinvention is toprovide YPatented 3l,

a, novellfjuxtalbos'iton of wooden,

ben-and Iether'orifhe llomembrs. s, c

A further objectofrthenvention"into fa, hallxfd` luggage case` 'construction wherein the cerrying-hgndlesere ecuredwto the;case. Sections so that 'the leather yorothex: VcoveringI material bese "portions" "so mounted `and securedastobring. 4the con'xplementery hadleshveryi close. together and upright', `for. ease 'and conveniencein engag- 4:,

a hand luggage: construction wherein the 'tionsot thecasesection frames with. the b ajse y .portions of: the handles petmiiztil'xg.the4 sameto alfhndfl'uggag construction which' resl'xlts inra.

(Cla-150ml@ rial, ywlmcl'rin the betterlclasofslugagelsjleather; 1mmwhich :mgm-.valso heimbmgin, composition; lfcanvas'g liu:alfxilikev 'Tm-accomplish. the' shit 51de wgllgfeamresinmllfbe obs-,erven fromfr'igA-that thefteutfg tenacious, exible covering 'material Flin isi :rotin-:infomed on manille. wall 4portionsof thecase,sctions,ghuntheinne1tasurfees ofzxhe same are ,r'nertem` coyeredswith, lining.; material H. Tnemeenng edmn, `nfti,c xl1s` of the: bottom walls,` ofthe complemenm sections. 8; and,P Sere will-ebene me frmtwn www@ L1 tr und applied, forms aV Valance overlapping and sealingl the complementary rail portion'of the case section 9 when the case is closed. Both end'portions of the embracing covering I3 are interposed Vbetween the lining and covering I of the'top wall, but terminate short of the side wall. Inter- Y posedbetweenthe extended end portions of the 'coveringl is a ber strip It whose'transverse dimension 'is considerably less than that ofthe walland which is spaced'somewhat from the vrigid rail vllty for reasons of flexibility.v All of the i plies in saidv top wall may be heldtogether'by a Y suit-able adhesive.

In casese'foflthe fiexible'or soft-sided type ity y is the practice to use a -pair of complementary Y.carrying handles which, when grasped :are 1 brought into convenientk juxtaposition.` 'In theV Y `present invention the complementary handle 'ar- 4rangement is such that thehandle'membersare mounted S0 as t0 be Verrcflosetosether in their upright positions. The complementary handle VmembersV are also .mounted in a Vmanner so'fthat the covering material for the case sections, which is'leather or the like, is relievedof much ofthe pullingstrain. That is" to say;,`in the present improvements the handles are 'connected'jwith structural ,elementsY other than the YcoveringY in aterial. The arrangement in thisrespect is best shown-'in Fig. 4. Y Itrzwill be noted that a complementaryhandle'members I1 has its lower porl tions merged into flat tabs I8`- which extend towardthe sidewallof the-case section which carries the handleV and 'atfrght angles toqthe 'plane ofthe; handle lI i. Y The.i top ply oftherail-v e,e2s,ioo nf. The vaber stripg'wnh the rail to which itis and the Vrail 23 is a layer of fabric 21 having one end portion below an extent of the sheathing sheetV 2t. l The curved upper portion of the rail 23 has an outermostcovering 28 of leather or the like which is a continuation of the outer covering of thefhottom wall of the complementary section 9 of theA case. Said extended covering 2B cooperates vvith the previously'mentioned hinge strip I2 in the provision of a strong and eifective hinge connection'for the vcomplementary case sections. The various plies in the bottom wall described 'are held together by al suitable adhesive andalso by a longitudinal line of stitching 29.

` y The'end'wall'construction of the case section 8 isfillustrated in Fig. 3. A vertical curved rail Gilisee FigZ) forms a rigid reinforcement for. the inner edge of said end Wall. At its ends the Y rail is in abutment withA end portions of the rails vift and 23 of the top and bottom walls respectively. Secured tothe-outer face ofthe rail, and projecting beyond thefree'fedge thereof is a; fiber strip 3l i In the `closed relationship of the luggage case sections thefuter faces of thetop covering i3', where it is-'extendedlbelow V'thetop VWall:covering I4', provides 'a shoulder IS against which the flangedtab-IS seats with the horizontal Vcurvedpexterit, ofl theytab AIl! being interposed betweenvthe ilatextent ofthe upperf-plyof the rail covering I 3 andthefsection outer v4covering Il); IThe longitudinalline of. stitching `2U which parallels the Sinner edge ofthe covering I @.for the topa extends through all: of "the'sup'erimpo'sed lplies of material,.includingtheeouter covering Ill,

thefat handle tab-'l8;the two'. plies oftherail:

i which ha'slav horizontal extentunderlapping the inner endportion of 'theber strip I6, and this is alsofy passed through bye the line of stitching. .At the j=jun`c`tion of the lower uprightportion of the handle I 'I with' the 'angularly directed. tab: 184 vthe vstoclis relatively thin, or compressed?? and'this permits the handle I1 to befolded over relatively flatly onto the top lsurface ofthe case'section.

v`heldtoge'ther by aline of'stitching-Z. YIt is desirablev that the Abottom `wall of the Acase l section .8 be reinforced and have r'a' certain degree of"rigidity'.1 Thej inner longitudinal edge along the open side vofthe bettom is reinforced .byra curved rail 23sfunderlyingand vparallel to lilieupperrai'ld, v"liheloweriinner edge portion A:ofthe rail 2'e3is.morticedl as atf24 to receive the longitudinal yedge portion of a wood'veneer sheet 25,1`which` terminates short vofthe outer corner f portion `f the bottom wall. "Inneresurface pory 'fcoirn'eringn ISQth-'iiberstripllG, andthelining v:I I. l,

' uld 'also be notedv that the `lower portion! of andend-wall krails of the case section 8 form shoulders against which outer edges of the Walls of the complementary case section 9 seat with the lines of meeting being. covered by the projectingend wall vfiber strips 3l, as Well' as the ltop Y wallfber strip I5, all of which formivalances.

l j Inwardly of the end f'wall rail 3&3A and slightly spaced therefrom is a Vertical ber strip-'32which` is interposedbetween and held byadhesive Yto lateral extents 33 and 34 .of leathenor lthe like covering Sefor thevrail and valancerstrip 3l. The covering 35 is a continuation of that coveringfsirnilar *parts` on the top and 'bottomfwalls and'is brought about the corners in a taut,

slightly rounded condition, as best shown in Ylig.Y Y' 1.Y 4'lhe-planeof the fiberk 'strip 32 is inwardly slightly from that ofthe valance strip 3E?, whereby a slightshoulder isformed. The outermost covering material Ill'for the end wall terminates Yat this shoulderand overlapsthe opterV lateral` extent ofthe'rail coveringv. 1A line lof stitching 36 yfollows said shoulder and passes through Y all of the superimposed. plies ofmaterial in said portion of the end wall. The yend,wall-outwardly of the fiber striptfZ is not reinforcedand'is com posedpnly of. the .outer covering; material II) and the inner liningxI I. VWhileonly one `end wall 'ofzthe section vhas been described it will be "The base portiony of the'luprightextent of the handle 4IV'I is reinforced, and the pliesfof mate'- irialrar said case Generally 'speaking the top,

)to lodge against themes 1423 and se of the tions oi.t he woodveneer 'sheetr25'have applied e y theretofopposite end portions of a leather sheathingvsheet.Zliwhich also :embracesA lllelower Yrail Y 23. Interposed between portions of the'she'et 26 case section S and are, coveredby the valance strips I5 and `3I.' 1 I-.Ienceson the walls of the jcase section ilk strips similar to theqvalance strips S5 and ,SI are not 'carried by the rails l31; 38 and 35. The case section 9 is, however, 'deeper than Vtheicase section 3;

Hence, the veneer panel 25' for the bottom walLinterposed between the'outer `covering it andthe lining Ill, is somewhat wider than .the panel 25 in the other bottom wall. A

The same is true respecting the fiber strip 16' which interiorly reinforces the top Wall of Ythe case section idf This strip It is considerably wider than the strip le in me corresponding wall i the 1ike.

` the 4purpose described.

of the casev section 8, as will appear'from 2.@

The handlemember `Il which is lcomplel mentaryto the handle member I1 hasits ilat horizontallyeextended tab portions AI8 secured betweenplies of material ofthe top-Wall of the I section 9 exactly similarly tolthat described in connection with `case section 8; Thevouter cover- A inglll is thereby relieved of much ofthe `pulling l K strain and both handle members project upwardly in convenientadjacency. When necessary, thehandle `member 11 may be bentpver against the` top wall.

not be described as ktheyiorrn the subject-matter' ofv my co-'pending application' fileclon` even date herewith; Y Y

o `and lining and having the longitudinal edge 'i z t The complementary `sections 8 and"9` of the flmproved luggage case are adapted tol be -releasably securedin closed relation by a pair of `flexible haspA devices!!! mounted on the top walls l of the case'sections -and formed of leather or These non-metallic haspdevjces will VInkeeping, with the elimination of metal from l the case structure the interior of'lone of the sections may be equipped withlsuitable non- `metallic `iixturesinot shown) for `the draping and folding oi' suits andrgarments. t

The elimination of metalfrom thelluggage t case makes it a :relatively light structure.

Strength 4is in nol wise sacrificed' because of the novel wallstructure `The appearance of the case ,n is attractive, unique and rugged, and the conl r structionV is simple, novel, and Awell adapted for F y l What isclaimed as the invention is:

1. In a hand luggage case,A an enclosing wall formed with an outer coveringfof leather and an f inner fabric lining, a rigid wooden railextendp-l sheathing and between portions ofthe covering secured within said rail rabbet, l l Y '2.`In Va luggage case, a pair of complementary sections having adjacent top multi-ply walls in meeting relationship,the'meeting edgeportions Y Yof said walls including rigid rails, multi-ply wallV portions connected to and extendingaway from' `said rails,"each `of said multi-plywall portions including an' outer flexible covering andan internalstii. reenforcement, each of said reini forcements being offset from the exterior surface of each rail to formtherewith an angular seaty a-complementary handle member for each section extending perpendicularly from the secf tion top wall and having an angular flexible baseV tab extending between`v plies of the top wall atthershoulder adjacent the railY and secured directly to said stil reenforcemenmmthe angle formed between said base and said handle being seated in said angular seat, and means for holdingsaidrreenforcement in its offset relation. 1 3; In a hand luggage case, an enclosing wall l 1' formed with anl outer covering of leather and an Y l Y innerfabric'lining`,la, rigid Wooden rail extending along an outer longitudinaledgeof said wall, a fiber strpsecured to the outeroface `of said rail' and projecting beyond the free edge thereof, a relatively narrow liber strip interposed between the covering and lining adjacentV but spaced fromtheV raiLand a flexible sheathing? `embracing the rail and having edgeA portions l staggered and embracing portions of the ber jrstrip'jbetween the covering and lining, said berA stripV `and sheathing terminating substantially short of they wall margin opposite the rail. f

` JUHUSRI'ITERJR.

n 3 thelini'ng, an inner portion offsaid raillceng` formed with a'longitudina'l rabbet,V and a wooden l f reenforcing panel of lesswidth'vthan Said Wan f "interposed between the end. portions of theV 

